Rotary wheel-guard.



F. E. HU'IGHINGS. ROTARY WHEEL GUARD.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. s, 1908.

WITNESSES INVENTOI? I -]"'rec2erickZ/fuiv/zz7zya 4 rroaksrs unrrnn SEATES earner QFFIQE:

FREDERICK E. HUTGHI NGS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ROTARY WHEEL-GUARD.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Fnnnnnrcx E. Huron- INGS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of ew York, have invented a new and Improved .liotary Wheel-G11ard, of which the f llowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in rotary wheel guards for vehicles, and more particularly to certain improvements in that type of wheel 'uard shown in my prior application, Serial h; umber 432 ,604, filed May 13, 1908.

The special object of the present invention is to so construct the guard and to so mount the same that said guard will be at the minimum distance from the wheel, and the possibility of any person or object falling behind the guard and in front of the wheel will be eliminated.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved driving means for the guard, so as to eliminate all chains, sprockets or other transmission gearing.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures, and in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a car truck constructed in accordance with my invention; and l 2 is a side elevation thereof.

My improved guard is adapted for use in connection with any form of street car, railway car, motor vehicle, or the like, and the construction of the frame and driving means of the vehicle do not involve any feature of my invention.

In the particular form illustrated, 1 cmploy my improved wheel guard in connection with a vehicle having a frame including side members 10 and a transverse member 11. The side members carry journal boxes for an axle 12, which may have traction wheels 13 driven by any suitable form of motor 14.

My invention involves the use of two cylinders or drums 15, diagonally disposed in respect to the car and so mounted as to retate directly in front of the wheels 13. Each drum extends from a point adjacent the medial line of the car to a point outside of the corresponding wheel 13 and is disposed as closely to said wheel as possible. Each Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 3, 1968.

drum is mounted in suitable bearings 16 carried by the side members of the frame and in a central bearing 17 depending from the transverse member 11 of the frame. Each drum is disposed closely adjacent the track or roadbed, so that objects cannot readily pass beneath the drum. The outer end 18 of each drum is curved to substantially semispherical form, so that the terminal portion faces outwardly and will throw articles coming in contact therewith, to one side. Each drum at the portion thereof directly in front of the corresponding wheel, is provided with a reduced portion 19, rotating closely adjacent the periphery of the wheel. The portion of the drum at the outer side of the re duced portion is beveled, so as to lie closely adjacent the outer surface of the wheel, while the portion of the drum at the opposite side of the reduced portion is dished or countersui'ik to receive the flange of the wheel. Adjacent this disk or countersunk portion is a series of gear teeth 20, which mesh with the teeth of a gear 21 carried by the wheel, so that the drum is rotated by the wheel and in the reverse direction.

As the car travels forwardly, the drums are rotated by the wheels, and the front sides of the drums move upwardly and outwardly to throw any object onthe track out of the path of the wheels. The outer curved ends throw objects to one side should they come in contact therewith, and the drums being driven by the wheels are so close to the latter that an object cannot readily fall beneath the drum and the wheel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination with a vehicle having a supporting wheel, of a rotary Wheel guard disposed in front of said wheel and comprising a drum having a reduced portion intermediate its ends and directly in front of said wheel and engaging therewith to cause the rotation of the guard by the wheel.

2. The combination with a vehicle having a supporting wheel, of a drum extending across in front of the .wheel and having its l axis at an angle to the axis of the wheel, and co-acting gears carried by said wheel and said drum intermediate the ends of the latter.

3. The combination with a vehicle having a supporting Wheel, of a drum disposed in l front of said wheel and having its axis at an angle to the axis of the Wheel, said druni hav- Wheel and said Wheel guard adjacent the re- 10 ing the outer end thereof of substantially duced portion of the latter. semi-spherical form. t In testimony whereof I have signed my 4:. The combination with a vehicle having 1 name to this specification in the presence of a supporting Wheel, of a rotary Wheel guard I tWo subscribing Witnesses.

disposed in front of said wheei and colnpris- 1 FREDERICK E. HUTCHINGS. ing a drum having a reduced portion inter- 5 Witnesses: mediate its ends and directly in front of said 1 CLAIR W. FAIRBANK,

heel, and co-acting gears carried by said EVER-ARI) B. MARSHALL. 

